Portable scent delivery device

ABSTRACT

A personal, portable scent delivery device including a portable housing which is either a housing adapted to be worn by a user in close proximity to a nose of a user, or is a portable electronic device which is used by the user in close proximity to the nose of the user; and a means for selectively generating scent housed in said housing, wherein said scent travels by diffusion to the nose of the user.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of the U.S. applicationSer. No. 11/567,266 filed on Dec. 6, 2006, which is a divisionalapplication base on the U.S. application Ser. No. 10/408,142 filed onApr. 7, 2003, claiming the priority of U.S. 60/370,881 (filed on Apr. 8,2002), U.S. 60/439,588 (filed on Jan. 13, 2003) and U.S. 60/458,185(filed on Mar. 27, 2003).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to scent and, more particularly, to ascent delivery device which is worn by a user or housed in a portableelectronic device such as a mobile telephone. The device allows the userto breath a variety of scents by means of diffusion through the openair.

2. Art Related to the Invention

Portable electronic devices that store, transmit and display informationare common commercial devices such as personal digital assistants (PDA),portable televisions, portable cassette players, portable radios,portable compact disc players, portable digital versatile disc (DVD)players, hand-held computer game apparatus (e.g. Game Boy7), laptop andhand-held computers, and mobile or wireless telephones. Thesewell-known, commercially available devices are portable and allow a userto communicate without the need for a wire between users, to playcomplex computer games, store data as well as a wide variety of otherpersonal uses. For example mobile telephones come in a variety ofconfigurations, but are all generally hand-held units which fit into auser's pocket and operate anywhere in the world.

A portable scent delivery device is disclosed in International PatentApplication Publication No. WO 99/01793 published Jan. 14, 1999. Such adevice employs a case which houses scent containers, a mask which isworn by the user, a conduit which connects the case to the mask and afan which moves scented air from the case through the conduit and to themask. Such a device constitutes a closed air system.

The device of the '793 Publication relies on convection or flow ofscented air through a closed conduit system to move the scented air tothe user's nose. Other prior art systems have also relied on fluid flowto move scent to a user's nose. A number of these prior art systems areopen air systems which move the scent through the open air by means of afan or pump. However, such systems tend to be bulky and not adaptable tominiaturization.

There is a need for a miniaturized scent delivery device that can beeasily incorporated into portable electronic devices or worn by a userwithout appreciably increasing the bulk or weight of these portableelectronic devices or interfering with the movement of the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a scent delivery device worn by a user orhoused in a portable electronic device such as a mobile telephone toprovide scent to a user's nose or, more specifically, to the olfactoryreceptors of the user's nose, by means of diffusion.

Broadly, the scent delivery device of the present invention comprises:

a portable housing which is either a housing adapted to be worn by auser in close proximity to the nose of the user, or is a portableelectronic device which is used in close proximity to the nose of theuser; and

a means for selectively generating scent housed in said housing, whereinthe scent travels by diffusion to the user's nose.

The term scent as used in the specification and claims means theeffluent that is perceived by the olfactory organs.

The phrase portable electronic device (PED) as used in the specificationand claims means personal digital assistants (PDA), portabletelevisions, portable cassette players, portable compact disc (CD)players, portable digital versatile disc (DVD) players, portable radios,laptop and hand-held computers, hand-held electronic game devices (GameBoy7), personal digital assistants (PDA), and mobile or wirelesstelephones.

The phrase housing adapted to be worn by the user as used in thespecification and claims means hats, headsets, shoulder harness or neckharness, which is worn by the user; or adhesive or magnet support whichis affixed to the skin of the user, thereby allowing the scentgenerating means to be placed in close proximity to or in the user'snose.

The phrase close proximity to the user's nose means about 30 inches orless (75 cm or less). This has been found to be an acceptable distanceto allow the scent to reach the nose of the user by diffusion.

Diffusion is a recognized natural phenomenon of the spreading orscattering of material. In the present invention, diffusion moves thescent from the scent generating means to the nose by the ambient air, orthe natural flows of air that surround the user and the scent deliverydevice. Generally, the scent delivery device will be positioned belowthe nose of the user and thus the scent will flow upward to the nose.Optionally, the flow of scent by diffusion can be assisted by means of aheater or a fan. As is recognized, hot air generally travels upward. Thefan employed in the present invention is small and is not intended tocool the user but to provide a current or direction to the air so as toaid in the movement of scent to the nose.

The scent generating means is small and light so as not to hinder theuser. The scent generator means can take on a number of embodiments.

In a first embodiment, the scent generating means of the presentinvention comprises a support affixed to the housing; one or more scentsources mounted on the support to selectively provide scent to theuser's nose; and a release means for selectively releasing scent fromthe scent sources directly to the user's nose.

In this first embodiment of the scent generating means, the support is asilicon chip, disk, or thin plastic film, one side of which is affixedto the housing, the other side of which allows for scent to be released.

In this first embodiment of the scent generating means, the releasemeans for selectively releasing scent to the user's nose acts on thescent source to release the scent. The means includes a micro-mechanicalsystem (MEMS), tape or other means, to release the desired scent. Therelease means can be activated manually by the electronics of the PED orby its own electronics.

The scent source can be of many types for this first embodiment. Thescent source can be a micro-container which contains scent molecules ina liquid or gel form. In this embodiment, the container holding thescent molecules is normally, closed, however, when the release means isactivated, the container is selectively opened to allow the scentmolecules to diffuse into the nares towards the olfactory nervereceptors.

The scent source can also be scent molecules which are microencapsulatedin heat sensitive capsules. Under conditions of normal environmentaltemperatures, the microcapsules remain intact and the scent moleculesare contained within. They cannot be sensed by the olfactory receptors.However, the means for releasing the scent selectively heats themicrocapsules so that the desired scent source is heated and a certainportion of the scent molecules are liberated and allowed to diffuse tothe olfactory receptors. As soon as the microcapsules cool, no morescent molecules are liberated from the microcapsules.

In a second embodiment of the scent generating means, one or more scentsources are mounted on a delivery means housed in said housing and thedelivery means selectively delivers scent from the scent sourcesdirectly to the user's nose.

The scent sources are placed near or adjacent to the nares one at atime, or more than one at a time. The delivery means moves the scentsource to the user's nose. The scent sources in this second embodimentare the same as those for the first embodiment.

In this second embodiment, the container holding the scent molecules isnormally closed, however, when it is moved into position adjacent to thenares, it is selectively opened to allow the scent molecules to diffuseinto the nares towards the olfactory nerve receptors. Wheremicroencapsulated scent molecules are used, these molecules are movedunder the nose and then heated or activated to release the scent.

A first embodiment of the delivery means comprises:

(1) an endless belt rotatably mounted in said housing;

(2) each of said scent containers are mounted on said endless belt, aport in each of said scent containers through which scent travels whensaid port is open, and an elastic flap closing said port to preventscent from leaving said scent container when said flap is down andallowing scent to travel through said port when said flap is up;

(3) an arm mounted in said housing which rides over said flap pushingsaid flap down when said containers rotate in one direction and whensaid containers rotate in the other direction said arm pushes said flapup; and

(4) a reversible motor mounted in said housing and rotating said endlessbelt in both said one and said other direction, thereby selectivelyreleasing scent from said scent container.

The endless belt can be replaced with a disc that rotates, thus, insteadof a linear movement, the scent container has a circular movement.

A second embodiment of the delivery means comprises:

(1) a can mounted in the housing, said can having an open end whichfaces said user and a closed end;

(2) each of said scent containers housed in said can, a port in each ofsaid containers through which scent travels when said port is open, saidport facing said open end of said can;

(3) a rotatable disk mounted against said open end of said can andclosing said open end of said can, said disk having one opening whichcorresponds in size to said port of said scent container; and

(4) a motor mounted in said housing and connected to said disk androtates said disk to align said opening in said disk with said port insaid scent container to release scent from one of said containers and toclose the other scent containers, thereby selectively releasing scentfrom said scent container.

A third embodiment of the delivery means comprises:

(1) a tube mounted in the housing, said tube having an open end whichfaces said user's nose and a closed end;

(2) each of said scent containers movably mounted in said tube, a portin each of said scent containers through which said scent travels whensaid port is open, said port facing said open end of said tube; and

(3) a reversible motor mounted in the housing and moving said scentcontainers individually into and out of said tube through the open endof said tube to place said port of a moved scent container under thenose of the user, thereby selectively releasing scent from said tubes.

A fourth embodiment of said delivery means comprises:

(1) capillary tubes which are bundled together and attached to saidhousing in such a way that the other end of each of said capillary tubesis open and the one end of each of said tubes is sealed, the scentcontainers are formed by said capillary tubes;

(2) removable caps are mounted on the other end of the tubes; and

(3) a motor attached to said removable caps to selectively open andclose said caps to selectively release scent from said tubes.

A fifth embodiment of the delivery means comprises:

(1) an endless belt rotatably mounted in said housing;

(2) each of said scent containers mounted on said endless belt, a portin each of said scent containers through which scent travels when saidport is open, and a hinged cap closing said port to prevent scent fromleaving said scent container when said cap is down and allowing scent totravel through said port when said cap is up;

(3) a motorized arm mounted on said housing for opening and closing saidcap; and

(4) a reversible motor mounted on said housing and rotating said endlessbelt in both said one and said other direction.

A sixth embodiment of the delivery means comprises:

(1) an endless belt rotatably mounted in said housing;

(2) a scent housing mounted in said housing for placing scent on saidendless belt;

(3) a cleaner housing mounted in said housing for removing scent fromsaid belt; and

(4) a motor for moving said belt so as to move scent on said belt fromsaid scent housing to a user's nose and then to a cleaner housing.

A seventh embodiment of the delivery means comprises:

(1) a matrix in said housing in which each of said scent containers areheld;

(2) a dynamic alloy wire which is affixed to a cap of said scentcontainers; and

(3) means to activate said dynamic alloy wire to open said cap and allowscent to escape from said container and deactivate said dynamic alloywire to close said container, said means being controllable, to allowfor selection of which cap to open.

An eighth embodiment of the delivery means comprises:

(1) a circular endless tube rotatably mounted in the housing in whichsaid scent is housed in compartments, a port in each of saidcompartments through the wall of the tube through which scent travelswhen said port is open, and an elastic flap closing said port to preventscent from leaving said compartments when said flap is down and allowingscent to travel through said port when said flap is up;

(2) an arm mounted in said housing which rides over said flap pushingsaid flap down when said tube rotates in one direction and when saidtube rotates in the other direction said arm pushes said flap up; and

(4) a reversible motor mounted in said housing and rotating said tube inboth said one and said other direction, thereby selectively releasingscent from said compartments.

A ninth embodiment of the delivery means comprises:

(1) an endless belt rotatably mounted in said housing, microencapsulatedscent mounted on said endless belt;

(2) a heater mounted near said belt for heating the scent to be releasedfrom said belt; and

(3) a motor for moving said belt so as to move scent on said belt fromsaid heater to release scent.

In any embodiment, a fan or heater can be employed to assist diffusionand provide a current of air on which the scent molecules travel to thenose.

With respect to a mobile telephone, the present invention can be definedas an improved mobile telephone wherein one end of the telephone has amicrophone and the other end of the telephone has a speaker, theimprovement comprising a scent generating means housed in said one endof said mobile telephone for selectively providing scent to a user'snose by means of diffusion. Because the scent generating means is housedat the microphone end of the telephone, the scent generating means ispositioned at or near, in close proximity to the user's nose when theuser talks on the telephone.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other aspects of the present invention may be more fullyunderstood by reference to one or more of the following drawings:

FIGS. 1, 1A, 1B and 1C illustrate a portable house of the invention,specifically, FIG. 1 is a mobile telephone, FIGS. 1A and 1B are aheadset, and FIG. 1C is adhesive tape;

FIGS. 2, 2A and 3A-3F illustrate the first embodiment of the deliverymeans and its operation;

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a side and top view of the second embodiment ofthe delivery means;

FIGS. 6A, 6B, 7A and 7B illustrate the third embodiment of the deliverymeans;

FIG. 8 illustrates the fourth embodiment of the delivery means;

FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate the fifth embodiment of the delivery means;

FIG. 10 illustrates the sixth embodiment of the delivery means;

FIG. 11 illustrates the seventh embodiment of the delivery means;

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate a top view and cross-section of a disc of theinvention;

FIG. 14 illustrates a silicon chip of the invention;

FIGS. 15 and 16 illustrate a cross-section and top view of the tape ofthe invention;

FIG. 17 illustrates the eighth embodiment of the delivery means of thepresent invention; and

FIG. 18 illustrates the ninth embodiment of the delivery means of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional mobile telephone 1 with speaker 2 andmicrophone 3. Scent generating means 4 is housed in the end of telephone1 that houses microphone 3. Telephone 1 is the portable housing inaccordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate headset 5 and microphone boom 6. Boom 6 isaffixed to headset 5 by means of articulating joint 7. Joint 7 allowsboom 6 to be moved away from the mouth and nose of user 8. Scentgenerating means 4 is housed in boom 6. Boom 6 can also house amicrophone and be used in conjunction with a mobile phone or phone asused by an operator. Headset 5 with boom 6 is the portable housingadapted to be worn by a user in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 1C illustrates user 8 wearing tape 9 under his nose and above hisupper lip. Tape 9 is the portable housing adapted to be worn by a userin accordance with the present invention.

Headset 6 is any conventional headset which is preferably adjustable tothe head of user 8. Boom 6 is affixed to headset 6 in any conventionalmanner, suitably with a nut and bolt. Preferably, boom 6 is movable suchthat it is adjustable to allow it to be placed under or into the nose ofuser 8.

FIGS. 2 and 2A illustrate boom 6 and frame 20 with endless belt 22mounted thereon. Belt 22 rotates on wheels 24 and 26 while motor 28provides the power to cause wheel 24 to rotate, thereby moving belt 22.Scent container 30 is mounted on belt 22. Each container 30 has a holein top surface 32 and flap 34 which is affixed to the front of container30 at point 36. Arm 38 is affixed to frame 20 at the end of frame 20that resides near or under the nose of user 8. Arm 38 is spring biasedto allow it to move upward and away from frame 20 in a directionperpendicular to the long axis of frame 20.

Motor 28 is reversible such that it can cause belt 22 to move in forwarddirection A or reverse direction B.

Arm 38 rides over flap 34 when belt 22 moves in forward direction A asshown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. Since flap 34 is affixed to scent container 30at point 36 and arm 38 is spring biased, when the front of scentcontainer 30 makes initial contact with arm 38, it pushes arm 38 up andover flap 34, thereby pushing flap 34 downward against scent container30 and maintaining hole in top surface 32 closed.

In FIG. 3C, belt 22 is stopped. In FIGS. 3D and 3E, belt 22 travels inreverse direction B. Because flap 34 is not affixed at the back ofcontainer 30 and because arm 38 is spring biased, arm 38 gets under flap34 when belt 22 operates in reverse direction B. In FIG. 3F, belt 22stops and scent escapes from container 30 through the hole in topsurface 32. Since arm 38 is mounted at the end of frame 20 which is atthe nose of user 8, user 8 will smell the scent.

Because flap 34 is biased to a closed position as shown in FIG. 3A, flap34 will close the hole in top surface 32 when belt 22 moves in forwarddirection A after being opened as shown in FIG. 3F. Thus, after theposition in FIG. 3F, when belt 22 moves forward, container 30 and flap34 will assume the position shown in FIG. 3C when arm 38 is moved tobehind container 30 as shown in FIG. 3C.

As an alternative to the embodiment in FIGS. 2, 2A and 3A-3F, arm 38 canbe spring loaded to ride off of top 34 and connected to a dynamic alloywire to bring arm 38 down into a position as shown in FIG. 3C. Then,movements of FIG. 3D-3F are employed to open container 30. After scenthas been delivered, belt 22 is moved in direction of arrow B to closecontainer 30. The dynamic alloy wire is deactivated and a spring thenpulls arm 38 out of the path of container 30. In this embodiment belt 22can move in either direction to position container 30 in position to beopened by arm 38. Other conventional means can be employed to move arm38 into and out of engagement with container 30.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a second preferred embodiment of the deliverymeans of the present invention. In FIG. 4, frame 40 has one or more cans42 mounted thereon. Frame 40 is mounted on or part of the portablehousing. Top 44 of cans 42 is open but sealed by disk 46. Disk 46 isconnected by shaft 48 to motor 50. Motor 50 is affixed to the bottom ofboom 40. Motor 50 rotates disk 46 by means of shaft 48.

As shown in FIG. 5, cans 42 contain a plurality of scent containers 52.Disk 46 has hole 54. Each scent container 52 is open at top 44 such thatwhen hole 54 resides over one of scent containers 52, the scent willtravel upward through hole 54. Suitably, one of the wedges in which saidcontainer 52 resides can be empty or closed such that there is a pointwhere hole 54 can be positioned and no scent will escape cans 42.

FIGS. 6A, 6B, 7A and 7B illustrate a third embodiment of the deliverymeans of the present invention. In FIG. 6, frame 60 has tube 62 mountedthereon. Frame 60 is attached to or part of the portable housing. Scentcontainers 64 are mounted in tube 62 and each contain solid wick 66. Cap67 is mounted on end of wick 66 and closes container 64 when wick 66 isretracted inside container 64. Pistons 68 are mounted at the rear ofeach scent container 64 while pistons 69 are mounted at the rear ofwicks 66. Motor 70 controls the forward and rearward movements ofpistons 68 and 69. The front of tube 62 has a conical shaped section 72such that when one of pistons 68 pushes one of containers 64 forward indirection C, the forward moving container 64 is guided out through hole74 at the end of tube 62. The length of travel of piston 68 is such tomove the end of container 64 with cap 67 outside of tube 62. Once cap 67of container 64 has exited through hole 74 as shown in FIG. 7A, piston68 stops as does the forward movement or container 64. Next, piston 69is activated by motor 70 to cause wick 66 with cap 67 thereon to extendwick 66 outside of tube 62 as shown in FIG. 7B, and thereby releasescent.

Motor 70 can move pistons 68 and 69 in rearward direction D therebymoving wick 66 back into container 64 and container 64 back into tube62.

Each scent container has a wick positioned therein on which a scent hasbeen absorbed or an equivalent arrangement. Wick 66 is stiff to allow itto move itself and cap 67 forward and backward

FIG. 8 illustrates a fourth embodiment of the delivery means of thepresent invention. In FIG. 8 capillary tubes 80 contain scent 81 and arehoused in frame 82. Frame 82 is housed in or part of the portablehousing. Each tube 80 has a capped end 84 and an open end 86. Disk 88 ismounted on and rotatable about shaft 90. Motor 92 rotates shaft 90thereby causing disk 88 to rotate. Disk 88 is designed and operatedsimilar to disk 46 of FIG. 4 such that disk 88 has hole 94 which rotatesso as to open and close end 86 of tube 80.

FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate the fifth embodiment of the delivery means ofthe present invention. FIG. 9A is a side view while FIG. 9B is a topview. Frame 130 has end 132 where scent is released. Frame 130 is partof or affixed to the portable housing. Endless belt 136 is driven in aforward direction A by wheels and motor arrangement as shown in FIG. 2.Mounted on the side of belt 136 are clips 138 which hold container 140by pressure against belt 136.

Piston 142 moves both forward E to push containers 140 out of clip 138and into corral 144. Piston 142 then retracts. Activator 146 movesupward G to open the cap of container 140 and downward H to closecontainer 140. Piston 148 moves forward F¹ to push container 140 backinto clip 138 and then retracts in direction E¹ to allow forunobstructed movement of belt 136.

By opening and closing container 140 in this way, scent is released. Thecap of container 140 is hinged. The concentration of the scent iscontrolled by the degree of opening of the cap. Activator 146 varies inits position of opening and closing.

Frame 130 can include a temperature sensor to determine how far open thecontainer should be. This is based on vapor pressure for the scentemployed in the device.

FIG. 10 illustrates the sixth embodiment of the delivery means wherein aframe similar to the one depicted in FIG. 2 is illustrated with two ends15 and 16. Specifically, frame 20 has endless belt 22 mounted on wheels24 and 26 with motor 28 providing power to rotate belt 22 in directionA. In this embodiment, housing 120 releases scent molecules 122 ontobelt 22 and belt 22 carries scent molecules 122 to under the nose ofuser 8. End 16 of frame 20 is positioned in close proximity to theuser's nose such that when scent molecules 122 come into close proximityto the user's nose, scent will travel to the user's nose by diffusion.When belt 22 is continued to be rotated scent molecules 122 will passthrough housing 124 and housing 124 cleans belt 22 to remove scentmolecules 122 from belt 22. Housing 120 can release a plurality ofscents into one location of the belt thereby synthesizing scent on thespot. Housing 120 can employ any conventional means to deposit the scentonto the belt, for example with a jet type process.

FIG. 11 illustrates the seventh embodiment of the delivery means whereincontainers 30 are housed in a body portion of frame 20 with dynamicalloy wire 200 connected to cap 202. Each cap 202 has spring 204 whichbiases cap 202 in a closed position. Microprocessor 206 is connected toeach wire 200 and controls the activation and deactivation of wire 200,thereby controlling the opening and closing of cap 202.

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate a disk 100 having adhesive 102 on one side ofdisk 100 and cavities 104 with microcapsules 106 housed therein on theother side of disk 100. Microprocessor 108 is attached by wires 110 toheater 112. Microprocessor 108 is controlled by the electronics in thePED or by a separate means which communicates in a conventional way tomicroprocessor 108 to control the scent that is released. Heater 112 notonly causes is the release of scent from microcapsule 106, but can alsocause an air current by the fact that the air is heated to above ambienttemperatures, thereby causing an upward flow of air.

Instead of heater 112 to activate release of scent, a means can beemployed to open and close cavities 104. Specifically, each open end ofcavity 104 can be capped with a micromechanical cap, a microelectricalcap, or a molecular cap. These different types of caps are made in aconventional manner and operate in a conventional way to open and closecavity 104, thereby controlling the release of scent. Heater 112 canstill be employed to promote movement of the scent molecules and providea current of air to carry the scent to the user's nose. Microprocessor108 is used to control the opening and closing of cavity 104.

It will be understood by those of skill in the art that disc 100 can bea silicon chip into which capillary tubes or wells have been etched intothe chip. These wells and tubes, often referred to as nanochannels, areoften on the order of a few microns (micrometers) in diameter. They areable to house scent molecules because the scent molecules are smallerthan the diameter of the nanochannels.

In FIG. 14 such a silicon chip is illustrated. In this embodiment, aplurality of microcapsules or cavities 114 are embedded within microchip115. Each microcapsule 114 contains a small quantity of a concentratedscent-producing substance. Each capsule 114 may have a cap to preventunintended release of the scent. Alternatively, the scent-producingsubstance may be a solid. Bottom side 116 has adhesive for affixing tothe portable housing.

Microcapsules 114 are preferably arranged in a matrix grid on themicrochip 115 as shown in FIG. 14. A grid of electrodes 117 are overlaidon or electrically connected to microcapsules 114 and connected by wiresor other conductors to microprocessor 118. Microprocessor 118 is housedon microchip 115. Battery 119 supplies power.

The user selects a specific scent by pre-programming microprocessor 118.Microprocessor 118 energizes the proper horizontal and verticalelectrodes 117 for microcapsule 114 containing the selected scent. Aheating element at the intersection of electrodes 117 heats up thespecific microcapsule to release the scent. Alternatively, a catalyst orother chemical could be released or electrically activated at theintersection point to generate the desired scent. Or a piezoelectric lidmay be positioned over each scent cavity, the lid opening whenelectrically energized to release the scent.

The electronics of the PED or switches can be added to the portablehousing worn by the user to allow the user to control whichmicrocapsules are energized.

It will be recognized that more than one cavity 114 or 104 can be openedat one time thereby allowing for the synthesis of scent by the deviceitself.

FIGS. 15 and 16 illustrate one embodiment of the present inventionwherein a tape is employed either as the portable housing or to affixthe scent generating means to the portable housing. Tape 150 hasadhesives layer 152 on one side and cover tape 154 on the other side.Cover tape 154 adheres to the top of tape 150 because of adhesive layer156. In or on tape 150 are pockets 158 of scent 160. By peeling backcover tape 154 in the direction of arrow A, pockets are opened and scent160 can escape. By replacing cover tape 154 over opened pocket 158,scent 160 is no longer released from pocket 158, thus stopping thediffusion of scent to the user.

FIG. 17 illustrates the eighth embodiment of the present invention wherea wheel-motor arrangement 24, 26, 28 is employed and tube 161 iscompartmentalized into individual compartments that house scent 162.Each compartment has port 163 and flap 164 which is biased in a closedposition. Arm 165 rides over flap 164 when tube 161 moves in thedirection of arrow A. When tube 161 is moved in a direction oppositearrow A, arm 165 rides under flap 164 and opens flap 164 allowing scentto escape from the compartments. The operation and movement of thisembodiment works similar to the first embodiment as shown in FIGS.3A-3F. Protection tube 166 is stationary and affixed to housing 20. Tube161 moves about wheels 24, 26 driven by motor 28 both forward andreverse. Microcontrol controls the movement of motor 28.

FIG. 18 illustrates the ninth embodiment where endless belt 22 ispre-formed with microencapsulated scent 15 adhered to belt 22. Housing16 has either a heater to open the capsules or a mechanical arm thatprovides shear to break the microcapsules and release the scent. Themicrocontroller of the devices is used to both rotate the belt toposition the correct scent in housing 126 and to activate the heater orarm to release the scent. Depending on the type of microcapsule, eithera heater or an arm is employed. Belt 22 can have either multiple scentsor a single scent.

A fan or heater can be mounted in association with the present inventionto create a current of air directed towards the nose or face of the userand thereby assist in the diffusion of scent molecules to the nose.Suitable fans include axle fans. Such fans are conventional fans whichare small in size. One such fan measures 12 inches×12 inches by 1 inch(4×4×2.5 cm) and moves 7 cubic feet of air per minute (0.2 cum).

The present invention has been found to work well provided the PED is ata distance of less than or equal to about 30 inches (75 cm) from theuser.

Instead of adhesive tape, a magnetic arrangement can be employed so thatthe device can be placed inside the nose. In this embodiment, forexample, adhesive 102 of disk 100 (FIG. 3) is replaced with a magnet.The device is placed in one nostril and a small round ball is placed onthe outside of the nostril to fix the device temporarily inside thenostril.

In the embodiments that employ a moving belt or moving disc to open andclose the scent containers, sensors are employed to provide feedback asto the location of the scent containers to allow the microprocessor tocontrol the placement and to know the location of the scent container.

Additionally, the device of the present invention can receive input fromany source of electronic content to synchronize the scent delivery withthat content. For example, a video game played on the PED cancommunicate with the microcontroller to synchronize the scent deliverywith the visual images of the game. Such synchronization can also bedone between the device of the present invention and a stationaryelectronic device. The connection and programming are done in aconventional manner using conventional electronics.

The microprocessor and the battery for the device of the presentinvention can be made external to the device such that they are housedin a case worn on the belt or in a pocket of the user and connected byconventional wires to the electronics of the device.

It will be understood that the claims are intended to cover all changesand modifications of the preferred embodiments of the invention hereinchosen for the purpose of illustration which do not constitute adeparture from the spirit and scope of the invention.

1. A personal, portable scent delivery device comprising: (a) a portablehousing which is either a housing adapted to be worn by a user in closeproximity to a nose of a user, or is a portable electronic device whichis used by the user in close proximity to the nose of the user; and (b)a means for selectively generating scent housed in said housing, whereinsaid scent travels by diffusion to the nose of the user.
 2. The deviceof claim 1 wherein housing adapted to be worn by the user is one ofeither a headset, a hat, a shoulder harness, an adhesive support or amagnetic support.
 3. The device of claim 1 wherein the portableelectronic device is one of personal digital assistants (PDA), portabletelevisions, portable cassette players, portable compact disc (CD)players, portable digital versatile disc (DVD) players, portable radios,laptop computers, hand-held computers, hand-held electronic game devices(Game Boy7), personal digital assistants (PDA), or mobile telephone. 4.The device of claim 1 wherein the scent generating means comprises: (a)one or more scent sources which are mounted in said housing and adaptedto release scent; and (b) a delivery means for selectively releasingscent from said scent sources and delivering said released scent to saiduser's nose by diffusion.
 5. The device of claim 4 wherein: (a) saidscent source is one or more scent containers each having: (a1) a port ineach of said scent containers through which scent travels when said portis open; and (a2) an elastic flap closing said port to prevent scentfrom leaving said scent container when said flap is down and allowingscent to travel through said port when said flap is up; and (b) saiddelivery means for selectively releasing said scent comprises: (b1) anendless belt rotatably mounted in said housing each of said scentcontainers mounted on said endless belt; (b2) an arm mounted in saidhousing which rides over said flap pushing said flap down when saidcontainers rotate in one direction and when said containers rotate inthe other direction said arm pushing said flap up; and (b3) a reversiblemotor mounted in said housing for rotating said endless belt in said oneand said other direction.
 6. The device of claim 4 wherein: (a) saidscent source is a can mounted in said housing, said can having an openend which faces said user and a closed end, and said can housing one ormore scent containers and having a port through which scent travels whensaid port is open, said port facing said open end of said can; and (b) arotatable disk mounted against said open end of said can and closingsaid open end of said can, said disk having one opening whichcorresponds in size to said port of said scent container; and (c) amotor which is mounted in said housing and connected to said disk androtates said disk to align said opening in said disk with said port insaid scent container to release scent from one of said containers and toclose the other scent containers.
 7. The device of claim 4 wherein: (a)said scent source is one or more scent containers; and (b) said deliverymeans for selectively releasing said scent comprises: (b1) a tubemounted at the housing, said tube having an open end and a closed end;(b2) each of said scent containers movably mounted in said tube; (b3) aport in each of said scent containers through which said scent travelswhen said port is open, said port facing said open end of said tube; and(b4) a reversible motor for moving said scent containers individuallyinto and out of said tube through the open end of said tube to placesaid port of a moved scent container outside said tube.
 8. The device ofclaim 4 wherein: (a) said scent source is capillary tubes which arebundled together and housed in said housing, the one end of each of saidtubes is sealed and the other end is open, the scent containers areformed by said capillary tubes; and (b) said delivery means forselectively releasing said scent comprises: (b1) a movable cap mountedon the other end of the tubes; and (b2) a motor attached to said movablecap to selectively open and close said tubes to selectively releasescent from said tubes.
 9. The device of claim 4 wherein (a) said scentsource is a scent housing mounted in said housing for releasing scent;and (b) said delivery means is: (b1) an endless belt rotatably mountedin said housing; (b2) a cleaner housing mounted in said housing forremoving scent from said belt; and (b3) a motor for moving said belt soas to move scent from said belt from said scent housing to a user's noseand then to a cleaner housing.
 10. The device of claim 4 furthercomprising: (a) an endless belt rotatably mounted in said housing; (b)each of said scent containers being mounted on said endless belt; (c) aport in each of said scent containers through which scent travels whensaid port is open; (d) a hinged cap closing said port to prevent scentfrom leaving said scent container when said cap is down and allowingscent to travel through said port when said cap is up; (e) a motorizedarm mounted in said housing for opening and closing said cap; and (f) areversible motor mounted in said housing and rotating said endless beltin both said one and said other directions.
 11. The device of claim 4wherein said delivery means is a dynamic alloy wire and a microprocessorthat controls said dynamic alloy wire, said scent sources being scentcontainers with caps and said wire connected to said caps to open andclose said containers.
 12. The device of claim 1 wherein the scentgenerating means comprises: (a) one or more scent sources which arehoused in a support to selectively provide scent; and (b) a releasemeans for selectively releasing scent from said scent sources.
 13. Thedevice of claim 12 wherein said support is a tape.
 14. The device ofclaim 12 wherein said support is a silicon chip.
 15. The device of claim12 wherein said support is a disc.
 16. The device of claim 13 whereinsaid tape has adhesive on one side to affix to said housing and pocketsof scent positioned on the other side and a cover tape over said pocketsto release said scent when said cover tape is peeled back.
 17. Thedevice of claim 14 wherein said silicon chip has adhesive on one side toaffix said housing and microcavities on the other side that house scentand a microprocessor and a grid of electrodes to release scent from saidmicrocavities.
 18. The device of claim 15 wherein: (a) said scent sourcein scent containers housed on one side of said disk each of whichcontain microcapsule of scent; (b) said release means for selectivelyreleasing said scent comprises: (b1) a heater housed in each of saidcontainers for heating said microcapsule; and (b2) a microprocessorhoused in said disc and connected to each heater so as to control eachof said heaters.
 19. In a mobile telephone, one end of which houses amicrophone and the other end of which houses a speaker, the improvementcomprising: a scent generating means housed in said one end of saidmobile telephone for selectively providing scent to a user's nose bymeans of diffusion.
 20. In a PED, the improvement comprising: a scentgenerating means housed in said PED for selectively providing scent to auser's nose by means of diffusion.